.vim/doc/snipMate.txt

   1 *snipMate.txt*  Plugin for using TextMate-style snippets in Vim.
   2
   3 snipMate                                       *snippet* *snippets* *snipMate*
   4 Last Change: December 27, 2009
   5
   6 |snipMate-description|   Description
   7 |snipMate-syntax|        Snippet syntax
   8 |snipMate-usage|         Usage
   9 |snipMate-settings|      Settings
  10 |snipMate-features|      Features
  11 |snipMate-disadvantages| Disadvantages to TextMate
  12 |snipMate-contact|       Contact
  13 |snipMate-license|       License
  14
  15 For Vim version 7.0 or later.
  16 This plugin only works if 'compatible' is not set.
  17 {Vi does not have any of these features.}
  18
  19 ==============================================================================
  20 DESCRIPTION                                             *snipMate-description*
  21
  22 snipMate.vim implements some of TextMate's snippets features in Vim. A
  23 snippet is a piece of often-typed text that you can insert into your
  24 document using a trigger word followed by a <tab>.
  25
  26 For instance, in a C file using the default installation of snipMate.vim, if
  27 you type "for<tab>" in insert mode, it will expand a typical for loop in C: >
  28
  29  for (i = 0; i < count; i++) {
  30
  31  }
  32
  33
  34 To go to the next item in the loop, simply <tab> over to it; if there is
  35 repeated code, such as the "i" variable in this example, you can simply
  36 start typing once it's highlighted and all the matches specified in the
  37 snippet will be updated. To go in reverse, use <shift-tab>.
  38
  39 ==============================================================================
  40 SYNTAX                                                        *snippet-syntax*
  41
  42 Snippets can be defined in two ways. They can be in their own file, named
  43 after their trigger in 'snippets/<filetype>/<trigger>.snippet', or they can be
  44 defined together in a 'snippets/<filetype>.snippets' file. Note that dotted
  45 'filetype' syntax is supported -- e.g., you can use >
  46
  47         :set ft=html.eruby
  48
  49 to activate snippets for both HTML and eRuby for the current file.
  50
  51 The syntax for snippets in *.snippets files is the following: >
  52
  53  snippet trigger
  54         expanded text
  55         more expanded text
  56
  57 Note that the first hard tab after the snippet trigger is required, and not
  58 expanded in the actual snippet. The syntax for *.snippet files is the same,
  59 only without the trigger declaration and starting indentation.
  60
  61 Also note that snippets must be defined using hard tabs. They can be expanded
  62 to spaces later if desired (see |snipMate-indenting|).
  63
  64 "#" is used as a line-comment character in *.snippets files; however, they can
  65 only be used outside of a snippet declaration. E.g.: >
  66
  67  # this is a correct comment
  68  snippet trigger
  69         expanded text
  70  snippet another_trigger
  71         # this isn't a comment!
  72         expanded text
  73 <
  74 This should hopefully be obvious with the included syntax highlighting.
  75
  76                                                                *snipMate-${#}*
  77 Tab stops ~
  78
  79 By default, the cursor is placed at the end of a snippet. To specify where the
  80 cursor is to be placed next, use "${#}", where the # is the number of the tab
  81 stop. E.g., to place the cursor first on the id of a <div> tag, and then allow
  82 the user to press <tab> to go to the middle of it:
  83  >
  84  snippet div
  85         <div id="${1}">
  86                 ${2}
  87         </div>
  88 <
  89                         *snipMate-placeholders* *snipMate-${#:}* *snipMate-$#*
  90 Placeholders ~
  91
  92 Placeholder text can be supplied using "${#:text}", where # is the number of
  93 the tab stop. This text then can be copied throughout the snippet using "$#",
  94 given # is the same number as used before. So, to make a C for loop: >
  95
  96  snippet for
  97         for (${2:i}; $2 < ${1:count}; $1++) {
  98                 ${4}
  99         }
 100
 101 This will cause "count" to first be selected and change if the user starts
 102 typing. When <tab> is pressed, the "i" in ${2}'s position will be selected;
 103 all $2 variables will default to "i" and automatically be updated if the user
 104 starts typing.
 105 NOTE: "$#" syntax is used only for variables, not for tab stops as in TextMate.
 106
 107 Variables within variables are also possible. For instance: >
 108
 109  snippet opt
 110         <option value="${1:option}">${2:$1}</option>
 111
 112 Will, as usual, cause "option" to first be selected and update all the $1
 113 variables if the user starts typing. Since one of these variables is inside of
 114 ${2}, this text will then be used as a placeholder for the next tab stop,
 115 allowing the user to change it if he wishes.
 116
 117 To copy a value throughout a snippet without supplying default text, simply
 118 use the "${#:}" construct without the text; e.g.: >
 119
 120  snippet foo
 121         ${1:}bar$1
 122 <                                                          *snipMate-commands*
 123 Interpolated Vim Script ~
 124
 125 Snippets can also contain Vim script commands that are executed (via |eval()|)
 126 when the snippet is inserted. Commands are given inside backticks (`...`); for
 127 TextMates's functionality, use the |system()| function. E.g.: >
 128
 129  snippet date
 130         `system("date +%Y-%m-%d")`
 131
 132 will insert the current date, assuming you are on a Unix system. Note that you
 133 can also (and should) use |strftime()| for this example.
 134
 135 Filename([{expr}] [, {defaultText}])             *snipMate-filename* *Filename()*
 136
 137 Since the current filename is used often in snippets, a default function
 138 has been defined for it in snipMate.vim, appropriately called Filename().
 139
 140 With no arguments, the default filename without an extension is returned;
 141 the first argument specifies what to place before or after the filename,
 142 and the second argument supplies the default text to be used if the file
 143 has not been named. "$1" in the first argument is replaced with the filename;
 144 if you only want the filename to be returned, the first argument can be left
 145 blank. Examples: >
 146
 147  snippet filename
 148         `Filename()`
 149  snippet filename_with_default
 150         `Filename('', 'name')`
 151  snippet filename_foo
 152         `filename('$1_foo')`
 153
 154 The first example returns the filename if it the file has been named, and an
 155 empty string if it hasn't. The second returns the filename if it's been named,
 156 and "name" if it hasn't. The third returns the filename followed by "_foo" if
 157 it has been named, and an empty string if it hasn't.
 158
 159                                                                    *multi_snip*
 160 To specify that a snippet can have multiple matches in a *.snippets file, use
 161 this syntax: >
 162
 163  snippet trigger A description of snippet #1
 164         expand this text
 165  snippet trigger A description of snippet #2
 166         expand THIS text!
 167
 168 In this example, when "trigger<tab>" is typed, a numbered menu containing all
 169 of the descriptions of the "trigger" will be shown; when the user presses the
 170 corresponding number, that snippet will then be expanded.
 171
 172 To create a snippet with multiple matches using *.snippet files,
 173 simply place all the snippets in a subdirectory with the trigger name:
 174 'snippets/<filetype>/<trigger>/<name>.snippet'.
 175
 176 ==============================================================================
 177 USAGE                                                         *snipMate-usage*
 178
 179                                                  *'snippets'* *g:snippets_dir*
 180 Snippets are by default looked for any 'snippets' directory in your
 181 'runtimepath'. Typically, it is located at '~/.vim/snippets/' on *nix or
 182 '$HOME\vimfiles\snippets\' on Windows. To change that location or add another
 183 one, change the g:snippets_dir variable in your |.vimrc| to your preferred
 184 directory, or use the |ExtractSnips()|function. This will be used by the
 185 |globpath()| function, and so accepts the same syntax as it (e.g.,
 186 comma-separated paths).
 187
 188 ExtractSnipsFile({directory}, {filetype})     *ExtractSnipsFile()* *.snippets*
 189
 190 ExtractSnipsFile() extracts the specified *.snippets file for the given
 191 filetype. A .snippets file contains multiple snippet declarations for the
 192 filetype. It is further explained above, in |snippet-syntax|.
 193
 194 ExtractSnips({directory}, {filetype})             *ExtractSnips()* *.snippet*
 195
 196 ExtractSnips() extracts *.snippet files from the specified directory and
 197 defines them as snippets for the given filetype. The directory tree should
 198 look like this: 'snippets/<filetype>/<trigger>.snippet'. If the snippet has
 199 multiple matches, it should look like this:
 200 'snippets/<filetype>/<trigger>/<name>.snippet' (see |multi_snip|).
 201
 202 ResetAllSnippets()                                       *ResetAllSnippets()*
 203 ResetAllSnippets() removes all snippets from memory. This is useful to put at
 204 the top of a snippet setup file for if you would like to |:source| it multiple
 205 times.
 206
 207 ResetSnippets({filetype})                                   *ResetSnippets()*
 208 ResetSnippets() removes all snippets from memory for the given filetype.
 209
 210 ReloadAllSnippets()                                     *ReloadAllSnippets()*
 211 ReloadAllSnippets() reloads all snippets for all filetypes. This is useful for
 212 testing and debugging.
 213
 214 ReloadSnippets({filetype})                                 *ReloadSnippets()*
 215 ReloadSnippets() reloads all snippets for the given filetype.
 216
 217                                              *list-snippets* *i_CTRL-R_<Tab>*
 218 If you would like to see what snippets are available, simply type <c-r><tab>
 219 in the current buffer to show a list via |popupmenu-completion|.
 220
 221 ==============================================================================
 222 SETTINGS                                  *snipMate-settings* *g:snips_author*
 223
 224 The g:snips_author string (similar to $TM_FULLNAME in TextMate) should be set
 225 to your name; it can then be used in snippets to automatically add it. E.g.: >
 226
 227  let g:snips_author = 'Hubert Farnsworth'
 228  snippet name
 229         `g:snips_author`
 230 <
 231                                      *snipMate-expandtab* *snipMate-indenting*
 232 If you would like your snippets to be expanded using spaces instead of tabs,
 233 just enable 'expandtab' and set 'softtabstop' to your preferred amount of
 234 spaces. If 'softtabstop' is not set, 'shiftwidth' is used instead.
 235
 236                                                               *snipMate-remap*
 237 snipMate does not come with a setting to customize the trigger key, but you
 238 can remap it easily in the two lines it's defined in the 'after' directory
 239 under 'plugin/snipMate.vim'. For instance, to change the trigger key
 240 to CTRL-J, just change this: >
 241
 242  ino <tab> <c-r>=TriggerSnippet()<cr>
 243  snor <tab> <esc>i<right><c-r>=TriggerSnippet()<cr>
 244
 245 to this: >
 246  ino <c-j> <c-r>=TriggerSnippet()<cr>
 247  snor <c-j> <esc>i<right><c-r>=TriggerSnippet()<cr>
 248
 249 ==============================================================================
 250 FEATURES                                                   *snipMate-features*
 251
 252 snipMate.vim has the following features among others:
 253   - The syntax of snippets is very similar to TextMate's, allowing
 254     easy conversion.
 255   - The position of the snippet is kept transparently (i.e. it does not use
 256     markers/placeholders written to the buffer), which allows you to escape
 257     out of an incomplete snippet, something particularly useful in Vim.
 258   - Variables in snippets are updated as-you-type.
 259   - Snippets can have multiple matches.
 260   - Snippets can be out of order. For instance, in a do...while loop, the
 261     condition can be added before the code.
 262   - [New] File-based snippets are supported.
 263   - [New] Triggers after non-word delimiters are expanded, e.g. "foo"
 264     in "bar.foo".
 265   - [New] <shift-tab> can now be used to jump tab stops in reverse order.
 266
 267 ==============================================================================
 268 DISADVANTAGES                                         *snipMate-disadvantages*
 269
 270 snipMate.vim currently has the following disadvantages to TextMate's snippets:
 271     - There is no $0; the order of tab stops must be explicitly stated.
 272     - Placeholders within placeholders are not possible. E.g.: >
 273
 274       '<div${1: id="${2:some_id}}">${3}</div>'
 275 <
 276       In TextMate this would first highlight ' id="some_id"', and if
 277       you hit delete it would automatically skip ${2} and go to ${3}
 278       on the next <tab>, but if you didn't delete it it would highlight
 279       "some_id" first. You cannot do this in snipMate.vim.
 280     - Regex cannot be performed on variables, such as "${1/.*/\U&}"
 281     - Placeholders cannot span multiple lines.
 282     - Activating snippets in different scopes of the same file is
 283       not possible.
 284
 285 Perhaps some of these features will be added in a later release.
 286
 287 ==============================================================================
 288 CONTACT                                   *snipMate-contact* *snipMate-author*
 289
 290 To contact the author (Michael Sanders), please email:
 291  msanders42+snipmate <at> gmail <dot> com
 292
 293 I greatly appreciate any suggestions or improvements offered for the script.
 294
 295 ==============================================================================
 296 LICENSE                                                     *snipMate-license*
 297
 298 snipMate is released under the MIT license:
 299
 300 Copyright 2009-2010 Michael Sanders. All rights reserved.
 301
 302 Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
 303 of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
 304 in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
 305 to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
 306 copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
 307 furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
 308
 309 The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
 310 copies or substantial portions of the Software.
 311
 312 The software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or
 313 implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability,
 314 fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement. In no event shall the
 315 authors or copyright holders be liable for any claim, damages or other
 316 liability, whether in an action of contract, tort or otherwise, arising from,
 317 out of or in connection with the software or the use or other dealings in the
 318 software.
 319
 320 ==============================================================================
 321
 322 vim:tw=78:ts=8:ft=help:norl: